We performed using OFFALCommandLine – a web interface we’ve developed for sending each other musical directions. We couldn’t actually hear each other as a dodgy network connection meant Joanne (who was running the performance at the venue) wasn’t able to upload the live mix of the streams to the server. But maybe because of CommandLine it still somehow sounded reasonably coherent:

From January to May 2017 I am working on a Leverhulme Trust Artist-in-Residence project in the School of Chemistry at Newcastle University. The project is a collaboration with Agnieszka Bronowska – Lecturer in Computation Medicinal Chemistry – and aims to explore ways to represent drug design processes in sound in a way that is useful to scientists and accessible to non-specialists.

As part of the project I have made an audio-visual sound installation, written algorithms to produce graphic scores for musicians, and I am organising a chemistry themed Algorave inviting Algorave artists to make dance music and visuals out of the data we are working with. A full description of the project is here.

Also as part of the project I recently spent a week working with Dave Griffiths and Amber Griffiths at Foam Kernow (and art-science research lab in Cornwall). I wrote a blog post about my week at Foam, which you can read here.

Here’s a thing that I did using the BBC’s micro:bits to make a music band, then slightly surreally being interviewed by people from TV shows I don’t watch about it. Part of the BBC’s Live Lessons education series promoting computing education in schools.

The micro:bits use the accelerometers to change a 4-note melody, changing one note for each direction you can tilt it. The buttons change the octave and tempo and if you turn it upside down it goes silent. Tried to get a bit of network interaction on the go – if you shake it it plays a different melody on your micro:bit and forces a 4-bar rest on the next micro:bit in the chain.

Despite my best efforts to remain mysterious, rare documentation of me live coding beats has emerged on the internet! :O

Performance was a very impromptu Algorave set from the International Conference of Live Coding, Leeds, UK in July 2015. Performance is at the awesome Wharf Chamber. Sound is in SuperCollider. Obi Wan Codenobi is on the visuals.

8th March at the Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds I’ll be playing a live coding gig with Leeds-based noise and synth artists Joanne and Marlo Eggplant

Commons Are Forever

I’ll be running a workshop and giving a public talk and performance as part of Newcastle City Library’s Common’s Are Forever Project on 19th/21st March. The workshop will be on downloading and editing samples with a Creative Commons license and using them as part of a live coding performance in Ixi Lang.

SHELLY KNOTTS: DATA MUSICIAN

Shelly Knotts produces live-coded and network music performances and projects which explore aspects of code, data and collaboration in improvisation. She is currently based in Melbourne, AUS. She performs internationally, collaborating with computers and other humans. She studied for a PhD in Live Computer Music at Durham University with a focus on collaboration in Network Music. She is currently a Research Fellow at SensiLab, Monash University working on Improvisational Interfaces.

As well as performing at numerous Algoraves and Live Coding events, current collaborative projects include algo-pop duo ALGOBABEZ (with Joanne Armitage), OFFAL (Orchestra For Females And Laptops), and live coding performance [Sisesta Pealkiri] with Alo Allik.

In 2017 she was a winner of PRSF The Oram Awards for innovation in sound and music.